What Is Local Search Marketing and How Do I Set Up My Local Search Marketing Strategy?

Local search marketing, like any other type of marketing, takes time to generate traffic and build business relationships. But the results are often worth it, because local search marketing helps create awareness, builds customer loyalty, generates sales, and makes a strong return on investment. Even if you have a website for a small business, local marketing should be a top priority. Here are some tips to help your small business succeed in local marketing.

One way to succeed in local marketing is to make sure that you’re active in your community. Participate in local events, become an instructor at a local youth or senior center, or hold a garage sale to raise money for your favorite non-profit organization. BrightLocal is a website that collects and links information about local businesses and nonprofits, and is a great resource for smart local businesses and nonprofits.

Another way to succeed in local search marketing efforts is to optimize your webpages for local searches. The Internet has changed dramatically in the past few years. In the early days of the Internet, many consumers relied on intuitive software programs that provided data by browsing search engine results. This meant that small, niche businesses with a strong presence on the Internet were not well represented in the major search results, which drove many of those smaller businesses out of business. Today, many consumers use “people” and “place” in their searches, meaning that they look for businesses in specific categories and geographies. To optimize your site for these local searchers, consider using SEO tools such as local SEO (search engine optimization), SMO (social media optimization), and local Yahoo & MSN searches.

Once you have established a presence on the Internet, it’s important to maintain your online presence. Many small business owners do not consider the value of local search marketing until they are already facing challenges within their service area. Often, small businesses that first establish themselves on the Internet do not have the financial means to create a solid marketing plan that will work for them over the long term. However, those that do decide to become involved in local marketing should come up with an online strategy and stick with it.

On-Page Optimization – One of the most important elements of local search marketing lies in the on-page optimization. With on-page optimization, a business can build a solid presence on the Internet and make it accessible to consumers. For example, if you have an on-page optimized website, it may not necessarily get you as many visitors as it could without on-page optimization. In the past, on-page optimization meant placing your company logo on your web pages, creating internal pages for consumers to learn more about your company, and building link popularity. Today, there are far more ways than ever before to optimize a web page for your company. Most consumers just skim a web page today, so it only makes sense that your on-page optimization has to be top notch in order to really catch the attention of consumers and turn them into loyal customers.

On-Page Optimization – In addition to on-page optimization, another way to achieve a strong local search marketing strategy is through the on-page optimization. This means making sure that your website looks appealing and attractive to consumers and gets picked up by search engines. For example, if your website looks unprofessional, consumers will not give your site any attention. However, a professional website that is professionally done can get picked up by search engines, which will then lead consumers to your website. If you want to get ahead of the competition, it’s important to build a strong presence on the Internet and make sure that you have an easy-to-navigate website that will allow consumers to find what they’re looking for.

On-avement or Above the Fold – Even though on-page optimization is a critical part of a Local Search Marketing campaign, many businesses often neglect this part of their campaign. However, you should never neglect an area of your website because that area may contain areas that will actually drive less traffic to your website. You need to build links to your website from high quality websites that are relevant to the service area that you’re marketing in. For example, if you’re marketing in a service area like pet grooming services, you should include links to pet grooming websites on websites that are related to pet grooming in your local search marketing strategy.

Business Listings – In order to be successful with your Local Search Marketing efforts, you have to make sure that your business listing has all of the proper data included so that the search engines can accurately determine how to rank your site. It’s important that you list a physical address as well as the contact information for both your main company as well as your subcontractor businesses. Along with contact information, it’s also important to list your hours of operation, whether you work at home or not, as well as the type of business that you operate. In order for your listing to be considered accurate, it should include all of these items. If you need additional assistance with your business listings, contact a professional online marketing agency to assist you in creating a Local Search Marketing strategy.